Don’t Read This Article!

From the Pastor:    Don’t Read This Article!


       This week I have had the opportunity to sit back and relax a little. I have spent some of that time perusing the news, both Catholic and secular. I am not sure if it was a good idea, though! Here are some of the “highlights” of world events.
       Fr. James Martin, LGBTSJ, has been again given special honors by being named as one of the official Synod of All Synods US officials. He is the only non-bishop chosen by Francis to represent the US. But rest assured, the news organizations nearly unanimously proclaim, the Synod will not and can not produce any moral teachings that are not Catholic. After all, that Fr. Martin’s entire identity is wrapped up in convoluting Church moral teachings of the sexual nature doesn’t mean that he will vote in favor of mortal sin. Likewise, Francis’ hand-picked Cardinal McElroy may not vote for women’s ordination, although he has publicly stated that he wants the Synod to do so. The same logic will also have us believe that Cardinal Cupich, another of Francis’ personally chosen members of the US delegation, will now throw his support behind Eucharistic Processions and Traditional Latin Masses. The rest of the group chosen (even though the US Bishops elected their own delegates without including these men) can also be counted on to fully uphold Catholic Church teachings to the same degree. Uh-huh. But enough of this. There is much more news to consider.
       Not that this paragraph has anything to do with the above paragraph, but Disney+ (the “+” must be the one from LGBTQI+) has a new show in the works, called “Pauline.” In this family-friendly, children-oriented series, Pauline, a teenage girl, has relations with Satan and is pregnant with his child. This is portrayed as a “coming of age” movie. Pauline will supposedly have all sorts of supernatural powers given to her due to this physical union with the devil, which is certain to entice impressionable young girls into searching out a similar relationship with demons as well. Sounds like good, clean entertainment for the whole family to enjoy, doesn’t it?
       I will sandwich that bit of secular news between Church news by here pointing out that Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernández, archbishop of La Plata, Argentina, was recently appointed to head the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. This is the Vatican position formerly held by Benedict XVI under John Paul II. Until now, the purpose of this dicastery/congregation was to uphold Church teaching. Now the new head, who will be made a Cardinal next month, has been told that rooting out heresy is not to be his function in this new and improved organization. He is rather to find ways to join heresy to doctrine to bring us to a fuller understanding of morality. Gosh, that sounds just dandy, doesn’t it? This appointment is being criticized for two reasons which have absolutely nothing to do with each other. First, when this bishop was still just a priest, he wrote a book titled, “Heal Me With Your Mouth. The Art of Kissing (1995).” He now claims that people are just being mean by pointing out that it is totally inappropriate for a priest to write such a book. Even doing the research would be inappropriate, as he writes about it, “I went to bars, colleges, businesses, in order to ask (over 1000) young people about what they knew to say about kissing, I collected varied opinions about what a kiss means for them, about the different ways of kissing.” Really? Would you want your son or daughter interviewed by a priest about such matters? Would you send your son to the seminary of which he is the rector? The second major criticism is that he supported an abuser priest and disparaged his victims, the first of his multiple alleged coverups as a bishop. He only now has reluctantly admitted that he “made mistakes” in this one case, which “ended” with the suicide of the accused priest. Anyway, remember this man’s position when the Synod proclaims that much more than kissing is now to be embraced as a healing remedy for all that ails us.
       Back on the secular side again there was cocaine found in the “secure” area of the White House. Just because all visitors have to be signed in and escorted everywhere they go inside that residence, and just because there are security cameras in every room and hallway and secret service agents throughout the entire place doesn’t mean that they can figure out whose cocaine it is. And the Justice Department just filed charges against the whistleblower “Gal” threatening over 100 years in prison for the same charges which were just dropped against the most likely suspect in the cocaine story. Meanwhile, Leslie Van Houten, who took part in the Charles Manson murders, was just released from prison. A California court (of course) made the decision that she is now “safe.” In California holding down a woman while others repeatedly stab her and then personally stabbing her another 14-16 times, cleaning up the blood, changing clothes, and calmly drinking the victim's chocolate milk shows the murderer to be the real victim (of white supremacy, racism, and homophobia, assuredly). Where are all of the people crying out for knife control? On a similar topic, we soon won’t need gun control because the US is out of ammo. At least that is the official reason given for sending cluster bombs to Ukraine. And this immoral ammunition became moral because they are old, so many of them won’t work. So says our old, non-working President.
       But let me end on a good note. Screen for screen, “Sound of Freedom” (the movie Disney owned but refused to release, which has now been released independently) topped WokeDisney’s emasculated Indian Jones at the box office!

With prayers for your holiness,
Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka